Thu
13
Mar
2008
Lethal Bizzle
Bizzle, you’re a pioneer in UK
hip hop right now. What advice can you give to anyone trying to make their own way in this game?
Eeeeerm, boy…. For me I just followed what I believed in, man, y’know? I think at first you got to believe what you do,
y’know, you got to do it for yourself more than anything. I think when you try to please other people, you start going wrong, so you got to have that self belief, y’know, wanna do it for the right
reasons. For me it’s all about the music, it’s not about the fame, or the money, or whatever, so y’know what I mean, you gotta tick those boxes, what you wanna do it for. Do it for yourself, man. And
there’s no secret, it’s just sheer hard work, man, it’s just sheer hard work. Just keep mastering your trade, and if you create that buzz the right people are going to come see you. But if you don’t
believe what you’re doing, how are other people going to believe it? So keep believing.
You mentioned a bit about why you got into it, when did you first connect with music, and
who inspired you early on?
Boy, when I first started, I think Wu Tang Clan was the first group that really inspired me to say ‘wow’. At that point
that was the first group that made me realise I wasn’t alone. As a kid I just felt like I should express myself how I want to, y’know? I didn’t feel like I should act a certain way just because of my
surroundings or who I’m around, and Wu Tang just influenced me to be more like that, y’know? And that whole ‘what you see is what you get’, this is what it is, that attitude, to this day, has made me
confident, and given me confidence to do what I want to do, create my own style and do my own thing. And if you don’t like it, so what? And if you do, then come along.
Looks like the ‘thing’ you’re doing is labelled ‘grindie’ at the minute. Is that a tag you have embraced
or wanted?
Ermmm….the whole ‘grindie’ name is just….to be honest I’m not really feeling the grindie name. It’s just a collaboration,
y’know? I think because of the unique sense of it, people from two different genres dominating in their scenes, coming together and working together, trying to create history. I think the media got
so excited and labelled it ‘grindie’…well the grindie thing, just forget about that, it’s just a musical collabration. I always want to try new things out and be two steps ahead of the rest. And
that’s kind of what happened.
I’m going to be honest, you don’t strike me as the ‘indie’
type.
I grew up listening to Nirvana and that kind of thing, so for Staring At The Rude Bois with Gallows, I turned to the band
and we had a bit of fun, to see how a rock track would come out.
That Gallows track…if anything they inspire me, that ‘don’t give a sh**’ attitude. When I saw them perform they reminded me of me so much. They don’t care if you
don’t even care. They did it for themselves. I had a gig the same night as I saw them, and I just took that page out the Gallows book. So definitely in the whole punk, indie, rock and roll world,
Gallows inspire me, man.
And because of it there have been a lot of indie kids starting to listen to some grime
more. Do you think it works both ways? Are grime kids listening to indie more now?
To a certain extent, but I think it kinda sways more to the indie kids. The indie kids are more open minded than the grime
kids. I think indie kids are way over my….. well, I’ve realised from doing what I’m doing that indie kids, although that’s what they are labelled as, are real music lovers, y’know? They might have
tight jeans and dressed like a lot of the rockers, but you see them at a 50 Cent concert, you see them at a Jay-Z concert, you see them at a drum and bass rave. And that’s what has made me as an
artist say ‘wow these people really love music’. I think the grime kids, obviously because I’m from that world, may be hearing of people they wouldn’t have heard of if I hadn’t collaborated, like
Gallows and The Enemy, and it does open a door for them to say ‘let me hear what they’re all about’. Y’know, The Enemy, before I toured with them, I heard about them, I didn’t really know too much
about their music. But when I went on tour….like, I’m a fan, man, their music is just….like, their songs are amazing, man. Like, the words…. Tom is a genius, man! I really think they are a really,
really, really top band, man. So I do think it works both ways, but I think the indie kids are more open minded to what’s going on elsewhere.
You also got together with NME for their Music Against Racism campaign. Also, through
unfortunate stereotyping, hip hop culture is often associated with gun crime culture and drug culture. How do you feel as an artist that you use your music to stand up against these social
issues?
I think it’s extremely important, y’know? That’s just me as a person, y’know? I always try to give back as much as I can
in any way possible. If I can give back a positive message in any way, shape or form, I’m gonna do it, y’know? And, erm, racism…I’ve realised a lot of my fan base…I’ve got a lot of mixed cultures,
people from different parts of the world who listen to me, y’know? And realising that, I think it would be a fool for me not to take advantage and try to spread a positive message. Racisms is just
for pri***, man. Y’know there’s nothing cool about being a racist, nothing cool about it at all. Y’know, if you’re a racist then you’re just a pri***, y’know what I mean? That’s the way I see it. So
I just wanted to get involved and try and make that change, y’know, try and put it straight. Especially the young kids, y’know? When you’re young you can really get corrupted, you’re vulnerable,
y’know? People can go in there and put things in a certain way which might seem logic, but it ain’t. Like the BNP, they’re trying to be smart about it, and they go in with suits and stuff… so yeah
definitely I want to use my position to create that awareness. The BNP and racism….not cool, man, not cool.
On a lighter note, if you could choose somebody to play you in a film about your life,
who would it be?
[laughs] People are gonna say I’m mad! This is my favourite actor of all time…. Bruce Willis.
Why’s that?
The swagger of Bruce Willis, man, he’s just got something about him. He scares me. It’s like, he’s one of those people
that you can never ever know what he is thinking about, y’know? I think he’s a special person, man. And I think he will pull me off quite well. He’s a cool guy, man, and I’m a cool guy, so I think
he’s be perfect.
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